The Loss of an Evil Queen
by EvilQueen225
Summary: What if Regina hadn't become the Evil Queen?


**I've never written Snow before, so hopefully this pov is accurate enough. We were discussing the question of 'what if Regina didn't become the Evil Queen?' on an awesome board that I frequent, and how that means she wouldn't have met Charming, and how Emma and Henry wouldn't exist. This idea popped into my mind, so I had to write it.**

**Whilst there are some SQ-y moments in here – and hints towards it being in the future - I shall warn that there are also mentions of Regina/Daniel.**

**Disclaimer: If Regina was mine, we'd stay in the bedroom all day *eyebrow waggle***

**This has not been beta-read, so all mistakes are from my own fail-y brain.**

* * *

'Careful!'

Snow raises her gaze from the muddy pathway in front of her in order to answer her daughter, but sees instead that Emma is reaching a hand out to help Regina over a huge fallen tree trunk. A hateful feeling curls in the pit of her stomach, and her darkened heart gives a painful thump. She watches her long-time enemy give Emma a small smile as their hands clasp together.

'I don't see why I can't blast things like this out of our way,' sounds the low tone of Regina's voice. Emma sighs good-naturedly as she pulls the woman up.

'We've had this discussion already,' she admonishes. 'Even if you didn't like what the majority ruled.'

'The "majority" is made up of idiots,' Regina mutters back, and Snow hears Emma laugh softly.

Rumple had left the group the previous day, slinking into the shadows of the jungle in order to follow his own hidden agenda. Snow isn't sure if she feels pleased that he's no longer lurking at her back, or perturbed that they've lost one of their most proficient magic-users. Then the memory of Emma and Regina combining their magic to stop an unstoppable force springs into her mind unbidden, and she halts abruptly.

Charming and Hook are up ahead, clearing the pathway with swords, whilst Regina and Emma are now talking in low tones, concentrating on what seems to be a private conversation. Fatigue washes over Snow suddenly, and she half-collapses on a tree stump. Catching up with the others will be easy, she reasons, as soon as she can have a quick rest; being a school teacher for 28 years has obviously not helped her stamina at all.

Snow tries to ignore the sudden pounding ache in her head, and instead focuses her attention on wishing viciously, and not for the first time, that Regina had never targeted her family. She closes her eyes and imagines Charming sitting on the throne in their Summer Castle, whilst Emma wears a beautiful gown and laughs at Henry, who is running around the grand hall waving a wooden sword.

She would do anything to get her happy ending.

* * *

She awakens suddenly. The surroundings are unfamiliar for a moment, until she realizes that she's lying in her childhood bedroom in her father's castle. A wave of nostalgia hits her, as she runs her fingers over the bed linen and then gazes up at the beautiful curtains hanging from the high ceiling. The last time she had been in this position had been the night before Regina had sent her out into the forest to be killed by the huntsman.

She's clad in a white nightgown, but chooses to disregard this fact in favour of rising and going to look over her old possessions. A music box sits on the vanity table. It had belonged to her mother, and she now brushes her finger lightly over the inscription, which reads 'To Eva, from Leopold'. She winds the key gently, and then lifts the lid to allow the soft melody to fill the room.

The peaceful moment is shattered as the door bursts open. Cora stands, regal as ever and dressed in robes befitting a royal. Snow feels her heart stutter as she stares at the woman who had frightened even the Evil Queen.

'No time to laze about, Snow,' Cora snaps irritably. 'Remember, the Crown Prince of Agrabah is visiting today. If you are to properly secure this marriage, you must look your absolute best.'

Her throat feels dry, but she manages to croak out a question in the face of Cora's disapproving glare.

'What are you doing here?'

She doesn't ask the question of what _she_ herself is doing here; perhaps this is all a bad dream, and if it isn't, then she may not want an answer.

'I'm making you hurry, dear,' Cora responds with a soothing tone. 'You're officially getting engaged today. And won't you love living in Agrabah? I hear it's a beautiful land, and so far across the ocean.'

Snow shakes her head, both to refute the words that Cora has spoken, as well as in an attempt to clear her head. She wants to wake up.

'Don't be insolent, girl,' Cora growls. 'I allowed you to live, when my darling Rumple could have disposed of you as easily as I had him do your father. Now, eat your breakfast and then please do get dressed.'

Snow is no longer listening. She seizes the knife from the breakfast tray and lunges angrily at Cora.

'You toxic witch,' she snarls, coming within an arm's length of Cora's neck before she feels herself being thrown up into the air. The knife clatters to the floor as invisible bonds immobilize her arms and legs. She has to gasp for breath as Cora clenches her fist and the magic squeezes in against her ribs.

'You foolish girl!' Cora cries, her face contorted into a snarl. Her expression then clears, and she sits primly on the edge of Snow's bed.

'My dear Regina never liked this form of punishment either,' she starts in a conversational tone. 'I had thought you and I were beyond the need for discipline like this.'

Snow continues to try and break free from the unrelenting grip of magic, but Cora barely notices. The witch's mind appears to be far away, dwelling over past actions.

'I'm rather fortunate that my daughter did escape with that despicable stable boy,' she continues, her eyes dark and unreadable. 'I think in the end, Leopold and I were much better suited together, don't you think? It's a shame that I had to dispose of him…But he kept trying to break free of my control. It was too much work, after a time. At least he went quickly at Rumple's hand, however. I had quite a bit of fun getting rid of my previous husband.'

She leans forward and smirks up at Snow in a conspiratorial manner.

'I crushed his heart slowly,' she confesses, and then laughs. 'Besides, all that work trying to make Regina queen was misguided. Here I am now, the power all to myself, and with a ready-made princess as a daughter too. When you marry the Crown Prince, you'll be offering up Agrabah to my control. I'm almost proud of you, darling.'

'You are an evil witch,' Snow chokes out. 'I refuse to follow any of your schemes, including whatever marriage you've arranged.'

Cora sighs in fake disappointment, and then claps her hands twice with a brisk movement. A cloud of blue smoke appears, and then Rumple is standing before them.

'You called, Your Majesty?' he grimaces.

'Be a dear and fetch Johanna for me,' Cora orders in a sweet tone. Her eyes gleam. 'I think a heart crushing is needed this morning. Our Princess needs a reminder of why she should be accommodating of my requests.'

Snow can still see Johanna's crumpled corpse at the bottom of the clock tower, and she cries out.

'Please,' she sobs. 'I'll do what you want.'

She crashes to the ground, landing hard and curling into a small ball. Cora's shoes appear in front of her eyes, and then there is a hand caressing the side of her face.

'Good girl,' Cora whispers, and then she is gone, taking the imp with her.

Snow shuts her eyes for a moment, pleading under her breath, but when she looks around, she is still in her old bedchamber. She feels so cold, and her head is aching fiercely.

The knife lies, forgotten, under the bed. She scrambles forward on her hands and knees to snatch it up, and pauses only to pull on clothes and boots before she is racing for the door. Snow is not the young girl that Cora is used to beating and manipulating into submission. She is a warrior, with skills honed from years on the run. The guards on the other side of the door don't stand a chance; she knocks them out before they even realize she has escaped.

She flees down endless corridors until at last she can feel a breeze on her face, and stumbles into the courtyard before heading towards the stables. A young, powerful-looking horse is in the first stall, and she reins him quickly, her breaths coming in short gasps. She is so close to freedom, from being away from Cora's cruel control, and then a voice rings out.

'Stop! Who goes there?'

She reacts without thinking, whirling around and flinging the knife from her hand. It flies in a perfect arc, landing with a sickening thump in the chest of the stable master. Snow catches sight of his shocked face before he crumples to the ground, and with a jolt of terror, she recognizes who he is. He had worked in the stables since before she was born, and had given her riding lessons when she was young girl, patiently helping her learn how to groom and saddle her pony. In seconds, she is crouched by his side, pressing her hands against the wound in his chest. The blood is flowing too quickly, and his eyes are glazed over before she has a chance to tell him that she's sorry, she's _so sorry. _A moment passes, and she leans back on her heels. Her hands are covered in blood, and she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at the irony of all of this happening in the stables. Instead, she closes his eyes gently, and then pulls the knife out with a sharp jerk.

The horse snorts as she leaps onto his back, and then they are racing towards the forest, and freedom.

Snow prides herself on being a good rider, especially after her past experiences. But she is tired, and the trees are dense, causing her mount to keep swerving. She doesn't know how long they remain in flight from the castle, but she realizes with a start that the horse is now out of control, running in a random pattern, and she tries to pull sharply on the reins. Instead of stopping, he rears up, and she clings desperately to his neck in an attempt to avoid being thrown.

'Whoa!' a voice rings out. There are suddenly hands on the horse's face, petting him as muttered words calm him. He stands still and snorts.

'Are you alright?' the same voice asks softly. Snow raises her head, and then recoils. Regina, her dark hair flowing in long waves down her back and wearing a brown peasant's dress, is gazing up at her with an expression that appears to be concern. Snow won't be fooled again.

'Wilma, is it?' she sneers, heaving herself ungracefully off her mount's back, and turning a glare onto Regina. The other woman seems to be confused for a moment, before she smiles and introduces herself.

'Regina,' she offers. 'I'm sorry, but do I know you? You seem so familiar.'

'Snow White?' Snow bites back, barely hiding a sarcastic tone. Her head is pounding, and she shivers. 'You know, the Princess…'

Regina's face lights up, and she curtsies swiftly.

'Of course,' she breathes. 'The girl who kept my secret…You've grown into a beautiful young woman, Princess. I apologize for not recognizing you straight away, but it has been many years since I last saw you, and you were so young!'

Snow doesn't understand why Regina is acting in this way. She opens her mouth, but no words spring to mind, so she remains silent and nods instead. Regina doesn't notice her confusion however, as her attention is drawn to Snow's hands instead.

'Are you hurt?' she asks quickly, grasping Snow's wrists and turning the bloodied palms up. Snow shakes her head mutely, and Regina nods with an understanding expression.

'Come on, we can go back to my cottage and you can clean up.'

She leads Snow and the horse through the trees to a tiny cottage in a small clearing. Smoke is rising from the chimney. Snow gazes about, trying to imagine the Evil Queen Regina living in such a place, but her mind places the younger, more carefree version of Regina here instead.

'Danielle, come down from there! No climbing trees!' Regina calls with a frown on her face. A young girl, with brown hair and a dirty face, drops down from a tree branch and sidles up to them with a guilty air. Snow stops breathing for a moment, recognizing in an instant that this is Regina's daughter, but then she is being herded inside by a gentle hand on her back.

'Henry, I told you to watch your sister, not allow her to climb trees,' Regina was saying. 'Now, we have a very important guest. Please get a bowl of water and a piece of cloth, and then get some soup heating on the fire.'

Snow is desperate to see Henry. Henry, who was so good at knowing about the curse, might also know what is going on now. She wants a connection to her family, so as to not feel as if she's surrounded by enemies. Even if those enemies are currently being nice.

But the Henry that Regina is speaking to is not Snow's Henry. He's of a similar age, but with darker hair, a rounder face and longer, ganglier limbs. He obeys his mother swiftly, although not until he has given Snow a curious look. A bowl of water is placed on the table, and Snow finds herself sitting with Regina at her side.

For some reason, only one question fills her thoughts.

'Where's Daniel?' she asks, as Regina takes one of her hands and starts to clean the blood away gently. There is a moment of silence.

'He died,' Regina responds eventually. 'He became very ill, and none of the village healers could help. We had to rely on trying herbal remedies, since we couldn't afford a magical healer, and even then, medicine isn't readily available for peasants. Only the rich tend to recover from illnesses. No offence meant, Princess.'

'Why didn't you heal him with your own magic?' Snow blurts out, whilst thinking of the shining hospital in Storybrooke. The older woman looks up sharply, her gaze narrowing.

'How do you-?' she begins to ask, and then stops. 'I don't use magic, Snow. I didn't even know I had any until Rumplestiltskin came to visit me, a few days after Daniel died. This was before my mother had the dagger, you see. He wanted me to become his apprentice…'

Regina trails off, and there is silence as Snow allows her to gather her thoughts together.

'I confess there was a time when his offer would have been very tempting. Back when we first met, in fact…Had I lost Daniel then, I don't know what I would have done. He was the only person who truly cared about me, and he helped me escape from my previous life. I don't like to consider what my life would have been like if I had remained caught in that web of abuse and manipulation. But I'm grateful for the life I did have with Daniel. And before he died, he told me that I should learn to love again. So when Rumplestiltskin came to visit me, there was nothing he could offer. The last thing I want is to become my mother. I'm happy enough being mother to Henry and Danielle, and to have the support of my friends. And…well, I'm sure one day I'll meet someone else I want to love.'

Snow is horrified to find that her eyes have filled with hot tears, and she tries to blink them away. She's thankful that Regina is preoccupied, head bent over Snow's palms as she continues to clean them. Danielle has skipped back outside to play in the sunshine, and Henry is busy stirring the broth over the fire burning brightly in the hearth.

'Thank you for telling me,' Snow offers after a moment. Regina nods.

'I'm sorry,' Regina responds, and continues after Snow shoots her a confused look. 'I feel responsible for what has happened. If I had married your father, all this death could have been avoided. I know Cora is responsible for your father's murder, just as she's responsible for my father…And all the wars that have raged since she took the throne…'

Snow's fist clenches, and she wants to scream at Regina. She wants to remind Regina about all the death that the Evil Queen caused. Instead, she forces the hand that Regina's holding to remain relaxed, and takes a deep breath.

'I won't pretend I'd have been happy with your father,' Regina says, finishing up her task, and looking at Snow in the face. 'Don't misunderstand stand me - I adored you from the moment we met. At eighteen, I wasn't ready to be your mother though. Not to a twelve-year-old child. And…I didn't love your father. I do wonder sometimes, if it would have been worth all of that, however - if only to keep Cora away from you and the throne.'

Snow feels slightly hysterical. This Regina, so soft and gentle, is telling her things that she never wanted to hear. Regina lays a hesitant hand on top of Snow's freshly-cleaned ones, and squeezes her fingers.

'I know Cora must treat you terribly,' Regina whispers. 'And I am so sorry I escaped, and left you in her mercy instead.'

The moment is disturbed by Henry approaching the table, placing bowls of soup in front of both women.

'Thank you Henry,' Regina smiles brilliantly.

'Yes, thank you,' Snow echoes. She needs to escape. 'Do you happen to know of a group of dwarves who live in the area?'

Regina has a surprised look on her face.

'You know dwarves? When did that happen? I thought you weren't allowed away from the castle…'

Snow can't think up a good reason, so she's grateful that Regina continues without waiting for an answer.

'I'd be highly surprised if you can find any dwarves who have the time to converse with humans. After my mother and the Blue Fairy struck their alliance, the dwarves were forced to work in the mines almost full-time, to harvest as much fairy dust as possible.'

Snow doesn't even know how to react to this news. Her head is pounding fiercely, and she turns to look out the window. Her headache is forgotten a moment later, however, when she recognizes exactly where she in the forest, and she spins back to look at Regina with a hopeful smile.

'I'm looking for my husb-for a man called David. I believe he lives near here.'

Regina places her spoon down, and sits back with a thoughtful frown.

'There was a man called David who lived in the next town over, just across the border into King George's lands. He married a very sweet girl called Ruby, and they ran a farm together with his mother Ruth. Oh, and their sweet daughter Anna!'

Snow nods eagerly, tuning out everything except the fact that David is close by. Everything will be better once she had seen Charming; if this isn't a dream, then perhaps the world will be right again once they've reunited. She almost misses the serious expression on Regina's face.

'I'm sorry Snow. They lost the farm a while ago, so in order to earn money, David became a soldier in King George's army. I think…I think he was killed in the war. He didn't return after Cora's armies destroyed George's.'

Snow staggers out of her chair and turns on Regina furiously.

'You're lying!' she shouts, tears forming quickly. 'He's alive…he has to be.'

She doesn't realize she's dropped to her knees. She feels cold all over. No Charming means no True Love, no Emma, no Henry…no happy ending.

'I want to go back home,' she whispers. Regina is now crouching in front of her, hands on her cheeks, asking frantically if she's alright. 'I want to go home.'

* * *

There is a hard slap on Snow's right cheek, and then she feels a strong grip on her arms. Someone is shaking her roughly.

'Wake up!' a hard voice snaps, and her eyes fly open. Regina is crouched in front of her, an irritated frown on her face. Her hair is short and her eyes are cold as they stare into Snow's face.

They are still in the jungle in Neverland. Snow can feel the bark of the tree stump pressing roughly against the back of her legs, and realizes that she had never left in the first place.

'Come on,' Regina barks, pulling her upright and grasping onto her wrist. There is a bubble of protective magic around them as they move forward, Snow stumbling as Regina drags her along.

'Those plants that you were sat next to are dangerous, Snow! They make people hallucinate and lose their minds, and even die if they stay enthralled for too long. You have to be careful in Neverland.'

Snow has never been so glad to hear _her _Regina's voice, and she is already smiling before she catches sight of Charming, Emma and Hook waiting in the distance.

Regina doesn't drop the protective magic until they join up with the rest of the group, and then suddenly Snow finds herself being gathered up in Charming's arms. As she hugs him back, she turns her head to look at Emma.

Her daughter is preoccupied, however. Snow watches as Emma smiles softly at Regina, whispering a quiet 'thanks' and brushing a hand along Regina's arm. Snow doesn't miss the fact that Regina smiles in returns.

She doesn't feel cold any longer.

* * *

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